


Blue Suits and Wedding Cake

by Effyeahzimbits



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, sick!Jack, zimbits - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 17:54:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17771498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Effyeahzimbits/pseuds/Effyeahzimbits
Summary: Summary: Fevers can make you say silly things. Or give you the guts to ask something that’s been on your mind for a while.Warnings: Jack is ill. :( And there is one cuss word.





	Blue Suits and Wedding Cake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KARIN848](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KARIN848/gifts).



Bitty absent-mindedly scratched the dog’s belly with one hand, his other scrolling through the Falcs’ Twitter feed. Even after he’d finished work for the day he liked to read through posts and replies and keep up to date. Jack teased him for it, but it just showed how much Bitty loved his job. Walking into an internship with the Falconers’ social media department straight out of college was a dream come true. 

Maddie rolled over and demanded more of his attention, nudging his hand incessantly with her nose until he gave up on Twitter altogether. He snickered and tossed his phone aside in favour of scratching both her ears, laughing as she practically melted against him. He paused the fussing only to snap a quick picture and send it to Kent, who promptly responded with five heart eyes emojis. The group chat they shared with Kent and his partner was mostly filled with photos of Kent’s cat and their dog.

“We should take you out before daddy comes home, huh?” Bitty asked the golden retriever, now scratching underneath her chin. Her tongue lolled out comically, so he took that as a yes.

The streets were quiet at this time of night, and the walk was short and sweet. Old anxieties died hard, and Bitty wasn’t comfortable lingering outside, even with a huge dog by his side. He walked to the small park at the end of their block, let Maddie do her business and then headed back home. Longer walks happened on his lunchtimes or days off, and the best ones were when he and Jack shared a rare day together. They’d pack up a picnic and drive out a bit until they found a strip of countryside and walk for hours, Maddie bolting ahead chasing birds and her own tail.

They were home fifteen minutes later. Bitty hung Maddie’s leash up on the coat rack and noticed Jack’s game bag had been dumped by the shoe rack. He followed the trail of clothes, picking them up as he went, to their bedroom. Maddie beat him to it, and he found her shoving her nose into Jack’s waist as he attempted to undress. Bitty smiled fondly and kissed Jack’s cheek on his way to the laundry basket.

“Good game, sweetpea.”

“Thanks,” Jack yawned, obediently fussing the dog until she allowed him to take off his suit pants. “Did you watch?” He asked, though he already knew the answer.

“I always watch,” Bitty replied with a lopsided grin, hanging up Jack’s jacket. “I thought you were going out for a drink afterwards?”

“Didn’t feel like it. I’m tired,” Jack shrugged.

It wasn’t often Jack went out with his teammates after a game, but he made an effort to do so at least once a week and would only miss a night if he was really feeling under the weather. Wearing only his underwear now, he crawled into bed with a contented sigh and pulled the sheets up to his chin. Bitty couldn’t resist coming over to inspect him like he did after most games, usually finding bruises and scrapes. He did look exhausted, so Bitty leaned down to kiss his forehead tenderly.

“I’ll lock up and we’ll get an early night,” he promised, brushing his hair out of his eyes for him.

“Sounds good,” Jack yawned again, smiling sleepily.

Bitty finished their usual nightly routine by himself, turning off lights and making sure all windows and doors were safely locked. He returned to the bedroom a short while later to find Jack already asleep and snoring softly. Bitty stopped and watched him for a moment, thinking that he did look a bit peaky. Hoping it was just something a good night’s sleep would help, he stripped himself and tiptoed to bed. He scrolled through his phone for another half an hour or so before becoming drowsy enough to lie down and sleep. He curled himself around Jack’s chest and soon drifted off.

He awoke to an empty bed and the ensuite bathroom light glaring in his face. He heard the toilet flushing and squinted at his phone screen for the time. After determining that it was the very early hours, he laid back down, waiting for Jack to come back to bed. When he didn’t right away, Bitty frowned and sat up, trying to peer into the bathroom.

“Jack?” He called sleepily, rubbing his face. “Everything okay, honey?”

He received a muffled groan in reply, which only concerned him further. He threw back the sheets and got up to check, carefully stepping over the dog on his way to the bathroom. Jack was slumped beside the toilet, his forehead resting on the cool porcelain. He looked exhausted and miserable, having obviously just thrown up.

“Oh dear, sugar,” Bitty smiled sympathetically, crouching beside him.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you,” Jack mumbled, throat scratchy.

“Don’t be silly. Why didn’t you tell me you were feeling sick?” Bitty half scolded him, gently pressing the back of his palm to his clammy forehead.

“Thought I was just tired. Didn’t feel that bad,” Jack replied, sounding like every word was wearing him out.

Bitty tsked but didn’t tell him off, instead standing up to fetch him a glass of water. Jack accepted it with shaking fingers and a slurred thank you and sipped it with a pained expression. His face eased a little when Bitty pressed a wet cloth to his face, gently cleaning him up, and he smiled weakly.

“Sorry I’m not so hot right now,” he joked, managing to laugh a bit when Bitty snorted at him.

“About as hot as me when I caught norovirus that time,” Bitty reminded him with a smirk.

He’d been bedridden for days last winter, moving only to run to the bathroom and barely making it in time. Jack had stayed with him as much as he could, and though he couldn’t do much, Bitty had been glad for his company. He was sorry Jack was feeling so ill, but at least he could return the favour.

The water didn’t stay down for long, and Jack was soon hugging the toilet bowl again as he vomited. Bitty rubbed his back tenderly through it all, feeling useless. He wasn’t sure if it was a bug or food poisoning, but one thing was certain – Jack was going to need a few days off work. Bitty made a mental note to call HR in the morning and let them know. Luckily, he had a couple of days off himself, though he gave up his previous ideas of romantic picnic walks and catching a movie at the cinema.

“Come on sweetpea,” Bitty murmured, nudging him after he’d been quiet for a few long minutes. “Let’s get you back into bed.”

It was hard work, Jack was dead on his feet. He didn’t dare drink any more water, but he rinsed out his mouth and managed to give his face a quick wash. He collapsed back into bed, curling up tightly and burying his face into the cool pillow. Bitty could only help him feel comfortable, pressing kisses to his shoulder and stroking his hair until he fell asleep again.

Bitty didn’t sleep well himself after that. He got up a few hours later, dragging himself up to get coffee and let Maddie out onto the balcony to pee. Jack slept hard, and Bitty didn’t have the heart to wake him. Once the caffeine helped him feel a bit more alive he grabbed the dog’s leash and his wallet, deciding to jog to the supermarket and kill two birds with one stone. He bought plenty of Gatorade and freeze pops, knowing that was all Jack was going to be able to stomach for a while. He ran back too; the exercise helping to wake his brain and burn off a little of Maddie’s energy until he could take her for a longer walk. She was used to running with Jack in the mornings, and Bitty knew his own jog paled in comparison.

It was early afternoon when Jack woke up. He was still feverish and pale, and could barely manage any more than a few sips of water. Bitty switched Netflix on for him, but he watched it with listless eyes in between trips to the bathroom to empty his stomach again. When he flopped back into bed, Bitty let him rest his head in his lap so he could play with his hair. Jack pressed his nose to Bitty’s thigh and closed his eyes, silently pleading for his body to get its shit together.

“I wonder if it was the fish you had at the restaurant yesterday,” Bitty mused, scratching soothingly at his scalp.

“Probably,” Jack agreed, his throat so sore his voice was no more than a whisper. “Tasted weird.”

“My poor man,” Bitty simpered, genuinely feeling sorry for him. It sucked being ill and not being able to do anything but wait it out. “I wish I could help.”

“’S’nice just having you sit with me,” Jack reassured him, opening his eyes to give him a tired smile.

Bitty returned the gesture, glad he could do that at least. It fell quiet between them then, save for the sounds of whatever documentary was playing. Jack half dozed, lulled by the hand in his hair. Bitty entertained himself with his phone, messaging their friends and updating Kent with pictures and texts. Kent sounded concerned, but Bitty persuaded him no to catch the next flight out. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d jetted to Providence on a whim and probably wouldn’t be the last either.

It had been quiet for a whole hour and Bitty was sure Jack was asleep, so he was surprised when Jack mumbled something into his leg.

“What was that, sugar?”

Jack pulled his face back a bit, though he didn’t bother to open his eyes, only making himself more comfortable on Bitty’s thigh.

“Marry me?”

Bitty let out a thin, nervous laugh, his heart suddenly hammering in his chest. 

“Ask me again when you don’t have a fever,” he replied as smoothly as he could manage. 

Jack simply gave a half-committal hum in his throat and settled back to sleep again. Bitty shook his head and resumed stroking his hair, albeit with slightly shaky fingers. Once he’d gotten over his shock, he couldn’t help feeling amused. Jack probably wouldn’t even remember what he’d said once his temperature returned to normal. 

“Wouldn’t it be nice if he did though, huh girl?” Bitty asked Maddie under his breath. She wagged her tail at him. 

Jack gradually got over his food poisoning. It took a week or two for things to return to normal once more, though he was tired for a while after. Bitty didn’t mention his abrupt proposal, not wanting to embarrass either of them. The idea stuck fast in Bitty’s mind though, and he found himself fantasising about blue suits and wedding cake. He assumed Jack had forgotten all about it.

A few weeks later though, he found that Jack hadn’t forgotten at all. 

 

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine’s Day Karin! I hope you enjoyed the fluff. <3 Love, Effyeahzimbits. 
> 
> And thank you to everyone for reading! I hope you enjoyed it too. You can find me on Tumblr as Effyeahzimbits.


End file.
